The Condemned
by The Blue Adventurer
Summary: Their power was their doom. Both had been forced to chose between their lives or the village. They both had chosen the village, it was never a choice to begin with. Can these two dead warriors find life in each other? ItaSaku
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone this is my first story on here so be gentle okay? I actually had another story written before this, it was a Sai x Sakura story...but sadly the story was lost when my last computer crashed. Alright so the ages are slightly off. The rookie nine should be 20 at the moment. Assuming that the Akatsuki are still out there, but that Sasuke has killed Itachi and joined the Akatsuki himself. So please read and review and let me know what you think!**

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She was alone, condemned to wander the world for the rest of eternity without a place to call home. Her hands shook and her emerald eyes were clouded with uncertainty, she looked down the old dirt road and felt the bitter truth freeze her heart. There was no turning back, her past was forever cut off to her and her future was now an unknown, the only thing she had left was the present.

Approximately 5 hours had passed since Haruno Sakura had "died"…probably about 3 since her lifeless body had been discovered. The hunt for her murders would be unlike anything any of the hidden villages had seen before. She had been the best friend to the next Hokage, apprentice to the current Hokage, the third member of the legendary team 7, and adored by anyone she had ever healed.

Reaching into the hidden depths of her hood she allowed her fingers to intertwine with her telltale pink hair. She'd have to dye it soon, each day that she allowed it to remain its natural color was another day filled with the possibility of being recognized. That was an unacceptable danger, if Konoha thought she was alive it would mean that Orochimaru would know she was alive. After Kabuto had injected Orochimaru's cells into his body it had taken less than a month for Orochimaru to completely overtake his new host. Even after being reborn Orochimaru was still unable to move his arms, it didn't take long until he turned his attention to kidnapping the only medic that had ever passed Tsunade, Sakura.

It had been after the second attempt to capture her that she had been approached by Morino Ibiki. With the Akatsuki still after Naruto, it was stretching Konoha's ninja too thin to protect her as well. She had vehemently denied the fact that anyone needed to help her, that she could handle this problem on her own. Deep down she had known that it was a lie, Orochimaru was obsessed and she couldn't escape him forever. The only way she would be free would be in death and even then that was a small obstacle for Orochimaru to overcome. She couldn't become a missing nin, without an alliance to the leaf it would be far too easy for Sound to take her. In the end, Ibiki had helped her day by day to create the perfect murder scene and the perfect fake body. She had been the one to come up with the plan, Orochimaru wouldn't be able to resurrect someone that was still alive. But, no one could know the truth, even Tsunade, the grief had to be real.

Even now as she moved further and further away from Konoha she couldn't help but ponder is she had made the right choice. As she considered all the pain that her friends were undoubtedly suffering at her sudden death she felt a stab of guilt. But, she had done all of this for them, to protect them, so others wouldn't have to be hurt trying to protect her. She was a medic nin, it was her duty to save people.

By the time night had fallen she had reached the northwest border that Fire Country shared with the Waterfall Country. She found a small town just across the border and opted to stay in an inn. Trudging up to her room, she practically collapsed onto her bed as she plucked a small bottle from the inner folds of her cloak. Glancing at the bathroom door she sighed and pushed herself to walk the few feet over to the door. She sat down in front of the mirror and began the slow meticulous process of dying her hair. After she had washed out the dye she found a girl with vibrant green eyes and blood red hair staring back at her. She had known that she would never again be able to wear the colors that marked her as a member of the Haruno clan, but had been reluctant to leave the last reminder of her family behind her…a reluctance that had led to her current choice of hair color.

The next day she was back on the road again, never ceasing in her constant trek away from Konoha; away from the only home she ever knew, away from the only people she had ever loved, away from the only world she had ever known. She was thrown into the depths of depression; but by midday she was beginning to claw her way out again, reminding herself that her sacrifice was for a reason. It wasn't until she came across the town she was stopping at for the night that a new realization hit her; that for the first time in her life she was free to make her own choices, she was no longer bond by the demands of a village.

She spent the early hours of the evening in a bar drinking sake, partly in celebration and partly in depression. Healing chakra circulated through her body to help prevent the next day's inevitable hangover. After her seventh bottle the barkeeper approached her warily.

"Don't ya think its about time you head home? Someone will be missing you if you stay much later."

She raised her head and met his dark eyes with empty green ones.

"Its already too late for me to go home," she slurred.

"Nah," he shook his head, "its not even midnight yet, I'm sure your parents wont be too mad."

"Yeah I guess you're right," she let out a hollow laugh before returning her attentions solely to the bottle in front of her.

Shrugging his round shoulders the man turned and walked back to the other end of the counter and nodded in greeting to the new customer. The man simply glanced around the bar before his gaze landed on the woman slumped at the counter. Walking over he casually sat down beside of her.

"The seat's taken" Sakura said without bothering to look up.

"Hn."

The strangers reply or rather lack thereof irked Sakura greatly and she turned towards the man grabbing his shoulder and pulling him towards her with chakra enhanced strength.

"I said the seat—"

She hissed as she met crimson eyes and looked upon the face of a man that was supposed to be dead. Ignoring the voice of reason in the back of her mind that ordered her to break eye contract she instead stared at him in shock.

"You're dead."

"They say the same about you." He quirked an eyebrow at her, "Do you always trust rumors?"

"Sasuke killed you, I know that he killed you."

"Oh?"

Her eyes narrowed in frustration and she decided to approach the situation from a more direct route. "How are you alive?"

"How are you?"

They stared at each other for several long minutes before Sakura gave up waiting for him to answer. She returned her attention fully to the bottle in front of her, and chose to ignore him for all intents and purposes. Itachi sat silently beside of her and sipped at the cup of tea placed in front of him. Perhaps it was the alcohol or maybe it was just her need for someone that understood, but Sakura eventually relaxed and basked in the fact that she a tangible connection to her past sat beside of her. She wasn't the 12 year old that would have trembled in fear and she was no longer the 15 year old that would have run off desperate to find Sasuke and point him in the direction of his revenge. As a young woman of 20, she sat quietly in the presence of a man who had killed his entire family save for his brother. As a former member of ANBU who had massacred an entire family on an order she could no longer judge him for his actions. And, as a lonely individual who could no longer turn to her friends for comfort she found that she could not reject his company.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for waiting. The good news is that I am done with finals and home through January until next semester starts. So here is the next chapter in my story and I hope that you guys like it. I'd really like to know what you think; you like the plot, you think I need to check for my grammatical errors more, the entire thing just sucks and I should probably give up. Seriously what ever you think I'd really like to know. With that being said, please enjoy and review.**

**And, I would like to thank my two amazing reviewers: TwilightPrinc3ss666 and Vihika**. **Seriously you guys are awesome! I don't think I would actually be continuing this fic if it wasn't for you. So I guess to an extent this chapter is dedicated to the two of you. I can only hope that you'll stick with me as I continue to write this and let me know what you think.

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There is nothing that can be said to comfort the dead and that night they parted in silence without as much as a backwards glance back at the other. Sakura continued her journey and traveled for several months in solitude.

Eventually she found a small village deep within Earth Country. The town was quaint and rarely received travelers of any kind. She told them a story laced with enough truth to make it believable of how she had lost her home due to the violence that gripped the continent and had been moving around for several months simply because she had no where to go and no one left that was looking for her. And, for the first time in many months she had a name, she introduced herself as Ryuu Moriko.

As time passed she managed to gain the villager's trust and protection after proving her worth as a moderately good healer. No one in the village would ever suspect that their healer had once been the apprentice of Konoha's Hokage and had once been renowned as the greatest medic nin the shinobi world had ever seen.

She lived in a small hovel of a house on the far edge of town that was cold in the winter, hot in the summer and shook when the wind saw fit to attack it. Her life was far from perfect; but one that she found far more appealing than the constant traveling.

Life moved forward day by day at a monotonous pace that provided her with a level of stability that she found reassuring. Despite the peace that embraced her small village there were still dark whispers that came from the south. Rumors spread about a harsh war, countless deaths, family members that died only to return on the side of the enemy, a silent enemy surrounded by darkness and red clouds, and seven Konoha shinobi with legendary strength. With each new rumor the hole in Sakura's heart somehow grew larger, until there was nothing more than a void that sucked away at her soul. She considered going back, others were returning from the dead so why couldn't she? But, deep in her heart she knew that her return would not make the current situation any better for her friends.

One day she was called out to a farm on the far outskirts of the village where someone had fallen ill. The young boy she treated could have been no older than twelve. He had dark hair and eyes that sparkled with happiness even in his current condition. When she looked into those bright blue eyes of his it took barely any imagination for him to his messy blonde hair to become blonde instead and for whisker birthmarks to appear on his cheeks. She left their house with a heavy heart and reliving a jumble of memories she had thought she had managed to bury in a forgotten corner of her mind. Upon her return one of the older women who had helped to support her when she had first arrived met her at the town entrance

"Ryuu," the woman called her cracked lips pulled in a pleasant smile.

"Tomoyo-san," Sakura bowed her head in greeting.

"And you thought you didn't have anyone," the old woman laughed, "a young man came just this morning looking for you, said he'd been trying to find you for quite a while. He's been waiting at your house since midday or so."

Sakura froze at the mention of someone looking for her. Who could have possibly figured out that she was alive? She twirled a piece of red hair nervously between her fingers and looked into the woman's wrinkled face.

"What did he look like?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Rather handsome actually….dark hair pulled back and black eyes. Not very tall though. Looked like he hadn't had a good nights sleep in a while either, I suspect you might be the cause of that."

Her blood ran cold and her heart seemed to fall into the pit of her stomach as she stared at Tomoya with empty eyes. At first her mind just went numb with the description but soon it was racing with the knowledge. A thousand different emotions gripped her at once; fear, uncertainty, shock and some that no words can describe. Her tan skin became on unearthly shade of white and she gripped her hands tightly in front of her to stop them from shaking.

"Ryuu?"

"Wha—oh sorry. Tha—That's great news…just caught me off guard, you know?"

"I'm sure," she placed a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder, "at least you know that a part of your past survived."

"Yeah…of course," she smiled. "I should probably be heading home, I'd hate to make him wait any longer."

"Well have a nice day dear, I do hope that you'll stop by tomorrow."

"Right…of course. I'll try to stop by after my rounds in…in the afternoon. Have a good day Tomoya-san." She nodded her head and continued down the path to her house.

A type of nervous energy consumed her as she trudged towards her house. Her heart fluttered not with joy but with uncertainty and fear. It seemed as though it took an eternity to walk to her house and, yet, an eternity was not nearly long enough. Reaching for the doorknob she inhaled a shaky breath before throwing the door open. She winced as it broke off its hinges and fell to the floor with a crash. Looking up she found none other than Itachi Uchiha standing in her tiny living room. An amused smirk appeared across his face as he looked at her with calculating eyes.

"What do you want?" she growled.

"I believe it is still common courtesy to greet guests."

Even as he demanded formality out of her he still avoided the use of their names. The place and time when those names had been important were far away and left far behind. As things stood, it was far easier for both of them to avoid any reminder of who they once were.

Her eyes narrowed as she stepped away from the doorframe and into the house. The comradory she had felt so many months ago with him in that tavern was no longer there. This situation was entirely different; she didn't know quite how it was different but she knew that it was.

"Why would you go through the trouble of finding me?"

"Trouble?" his tone indifferent. "For a dead person you're easy to find."

She clenched her fist and her blood began to boil, most people did not survive unscratched when started to become this angry. All nervousness forgotten she took another bold step forward and scanned his figure with calculating eyes. Finally meeting his crimson gaze her eyes widened in shock.

"Kakashi was right, you're going blind."

"Hn."

"You're sick too; the waxy skin color, the slight perspiration, tremors in the hands." The medic in her kicked in and she no longer saw Itachi Uchiha but instead a patient that needed help. As a healer in a world full of death she carried both the curse and gift of compassion heavily on her shoulders. Friend, enemy, a neutral party; it didn't matter Sakura hated to see people in pain.

"Hn."

"I," she paused as she realized that what she was about to say would be seen as traitorous. There could be no going back after this. Then again, there was no going back anyways. "I can heal you."

"That's not why I'm here."

"Why—"

The last of Itachi's strength failed him and she watched in shock as the prideful Uchiha began to fall to the ground. Moving faster than perhaps even she thought was possible she was beside him an instance to slow his descent. Heaving a sigh she picked him up and was shocked by how light he actually was. She laid him on the couch and shivered as a small breeze danced across her skin. Looking up she saw the open doorway with the door lying unceremoniously beside of it. Walking over she picked up the door and placed it back in its spot. She turned around to look once more and her uninvited guest, releasing what she was sure would be one of many sighs, she placed a hand on his forehead to check for a fever. Tonight would be a long night.

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**Alright so I guess there was just one thing that I wanted to say at the end of this chapter and that was to say what the name Sakura is going by means.  
Ryuu: Dragon  
Moriko:Forest Child  
Anyways please review and I'll try to have the next chapter out as soon as I can.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait I never intended to go this long without updating. In my defense, I am taking 18 credits this semester and working two jobs so my time for writing is practically non-existent. I'll try to update again soon, but I unfortunately can't promise anything. Now Spring Break is coming up for me the 2****nd**** week in March, I'll be gone for the first half of the week and at the very least I will attempt to have something up by the end of that week. Now as a thank you to those of you that waited so patiently I made this chapter about twice as long as the previous ones. Thank you all so much for your reviews, they really inspire me to keep writing. **

**Thank you very much to laravine, Midori Blossom, Gothic Raven, Evanescent17, the ever lovely Lady Massacre (who was my first reviewer and has stuck with me so far), ColdAndDistant, Confuzzled Clairvoyant, xXlyraXvinceXx. I'm so glad that all of you are interested in the story and hope that you will continue to read and review in the future.  
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When the first rays of light appeared on the horizon she leaned back from her position crouched over Itachi and stopped the constant flow of chakra she had been pushing into his body. Stretching her arms upwards she felt both shoulders pop and she gave a soft groan as she tried to loosen her back muscles. The virus that had been attacking his body was still present; she would probably never be able to completely rid him of it. The disease survived off of chakra, something that a shinobi needed to survive. Extensive damage had been done to his system, proving that the virus had run rampant for several years already. Reaching out she went to move a stray hair from his face, but jerked back when his eyes opened. Pushing himself into a sitting position he looked at her questioningly.

"I didn't heal you," she whispered. The despair was evident in her voice, she was used to defeating death at every turn, and last night they had simply come to an uneasy truce. "I tried, but the virus…its unlike anything—it shouldn't exist. I don't understand."

Her hands covered her face as she tried to think of something that would explain what was killing him, of anything that could save him. Of course, judging from his current situation maybe he was not looking to be saved.

"I did not come here to be healed."

"Will you let me heal you though?"

"Hn."

Yes? No? She did not know what exactly his response meant. In reality, she was not even sure if she could heal him. The only thing she really could be certain of was that for the first time in months she had an enemy, a reason to fight and she'd be damned if she was going to lose. She had a purpose at last.

A part of her was appalled that she, Haruno Sakura, was trying to help a murderer, a traitor to her village, not to mention the man that ruined Sasuke's life. But, somewhere in a dark corner of her mind, Inner Sakura reminded her that she was now Ryuu Moriko and Konoha was no longer her village. And, she had since come to terms with the fact that Sasuke had destroyed his own life, more than Itachi had. Besides, could she really judge a man so harshly on the impact he had had on an ex-teammate? Even after his return his complete disregard for her had remained the same, maybe even worse, he had at least appeared to care during the Chunin Exams. Her conscious was torn, the one side begging for companionship and the other wanted to get as far away from him as possibly. Pushing her warring sides aside, she looked upon her unlikely guest.

"Why are you here?"

"To warn you. People are beginning to ask questions about your death. It wont be too long until there are others appearing on your doorstep."

"Konoha?"

"And others," he inclined his head almost imperceptibly.

She chewed her lip, indecision gripping her mind, as she considered the information he had just given her.

"How'd they figure out the body was a fake? It couldn't have been a variation in the DNA, I cloned everything from my own cells. Only one person knew about any of it. There's no way, unless," a flash of realization crossed her face. "Orochimaru tried to bring me back."

She looked up at Itachi in shock, seeking some form in confirmation. The only reply she got was a curt nod of his head.

"Still—they could assume that my soul was destroyed. War was obvious and it was common knowledge they were after me. They're not doing that though, are they?"

"You should not have left Konoha. They would have protected you."

"Yes, your right they would have." Her hands tore at her hair as she became increasingly angry, "The precious Haruno Sakura, who was adored by all and loved by none, they would have fought for her. They were falling in love, starting families and they would have left it behind and marched to their deaths to protect her. Don't you understand? She couldn't let that happen! That's why she died."

"You are still Haruno Sakura."

"I am no more that girl than you are Uchiha Itachi. She belongs to the past and exists only in memories. Ryuu is my present and my future."

"Hn."

"How much longer…until someone else tracks me back here?"

"Soon," there was a level of certainty in his voice that made her shudder.

"Sound?"

"Hn."

Her mind raced with the possibilities and the impending risk that she was putting the village she had grow to love in. Would leaving help at this point? What if they tortured the villagers in an attempt to discover where she had gone? Still that was a rather high risk on Orochimaru's part, an attack on the village could be seen as an act of war against Earth. Could he really risk being at war with Earth, Sand and Fire at the same time? She had to take the chance he was not willing to risk a three sided war, if she placed herself in a position to be captured now it would mean her entire sacrifice had been for nothing.

"We should leave by tonight. I'll say we're going home, that I must have been separated from the rest of the survivors. I just need to make a few rounds through the village." She ran towards her room intent on packing a bag

"We?" he asked with a tone of indifference.

She paused in the door and turned back with a quizzical look on her face. She had not even realized that she had said that they should both leave.

"Well it's not as though you can remain here after I leave," she scoffed. She tried to be disdainful; in all honesty she just did not want to be alone. "And it would make sense we could watch out," she looked into his empty eyes," I mean look…no I mean…. Wait Tomoyo-san said you had black eyes when she was describing you, how can you still activate the Sharingan if you're blind?"

Medical curiosity drove her to ask the question and she waited patiently for a reply.

"I hadn't realized it was."

"Interesting…I wonder what triggers it then if it's an unconscious reaction. That's a good sign. Your blindness can probably be cured."

She crossed the space between them in a few steps and reached towards his face with a hand glowing green with chakra. However, before she could close the distance completely his hand grabbed her wrist and pulled it away.

"Make no mistake," he hissed, "I am not my brother. I did not rely upon my eyes like a crutch before, and I am not helpless without them now."

"I know you're not Sasuke," she whispered. "Did it ever occur to you that that might be the reason I'm willing to help you?"

"Hn," he left go of her wrist. "If they find out what you've done, you'll never be able to return to Konoha."

"There was never any going back from the beginning. I knew that the night I left."

The familiar coldness swept through her chest and froze her veins, something that she had come far too accustomed to over the past months of freedom. Turning she looked at her reflection in the window. Staring back at her was a frowning girl with dark circles under her eyes; hollow cheeks revealed a lifestyle filled with too much work and too little food; her skin had a shallow and unhealthy color to it due to chakra deprivation; and red hair hung limply around her face, lacking the life and luster it had once held. But the changes went deeper than that, years of misuse and chakra manipulation that for most would have been impossible had caused even her chakra signature to vary slightly. How could this person ever be confused with Konoha's prized medic?

"I'm going to complete my rounds, and I'll pick up some food for the journey," not waiting for a reply she picked up her medic bag and walked out the door.

She walked at a quick pace towards the down; the wind whipped around her face and forced her long hair to billow out behind her. The first house she approached was an old building that creaked and strained under the storm as though it were an effort to simply stay standing. Entering the front door without even a knock she went to the back door and smiled kindly at the older gentleman who had been one of the first to accept her.

His white hair pulled out in unruly directions and he was propped into a sitting position on a mountain of pillows. Flecks of blood stained his wrinkled lips and he squinted into the darkness trying to discern his visitor.

"How are you doing this morning Takeshi-san?"

"Quite well, Ryuu-san. Though you're looking a little worse for wear."

"We all can't look as beautiful as you every day," she quirked a small smile and placed a glowing hand against his forehead. "You are doing better than yesterday, though, fever is down and everything."

"Course the fever is down, how many times do I have to say there's nothing wrong with me?

"Ah well, if I didn't keep up the act that you're sick then I wouldn't be able to come visit you as much."

A small smile tugged at her lips as she continued with his check up. He was one of the many people that she would miss, Takeshi always reminded her of what an older Genma would be like, brutally honest and somehow still a flirt and charming. Part of her recoiled with sadness as she continued to heal him, leaving him without a healer was practically a death sentence; his chances of survival were about to be cut in half.

"Tomoya said someone came to see you yesterday." His voice broke her out of her musings.

"Yes, someone from my old village. There were more survivors than I thought."

"Are you going to go back?"

Back? Oh how she longed to do so.

"Hm…they need my help. We're planning to leave tonight."

"We'll miss you, Ryuu. But, there's nothing quite like going home."

"No, I suppose there isn't."

She finished checking his vitals in silence and when she had completed her task she pulled him in a loose hug and felt the tears stinging her eyes.

"Thank you…for everything," she whispered.

A small chuckle escaped his cracked lips and he patted her gently on the back. "I should be the one thanking you. Have a safe trip."

Standing up she gave him a soft smile before she left the weathered house. The rest of the day progressed in a similar fashion, filled with many tearful goodbye and final check-ups where she healed as much as she could. As midday approached she walked over to the sturdy stone house Tomoya-san lived in to eat lunch with her.

"You look awful," Tomoya-san chastised lightly as Sakura was about to knock.

"So I've been told," Sakura laughed with a wry grin.

"Well come on in, it's hardly fit for man or beast out there today. Looks like a storm is on the horizon."

Sakura smiled graciously and stepped into the modest dwelling filled with old furniture and ancient heirlooms. She took a seat at the table where Tomoya already had two mugs of tea.

"You're leaving."

"Hai. You don't seem very surprised."

"I always knew that it would happen. A storm and the winds of fate brought you to us. It seems fitting that you would be taken from us in the same way."

"I suppose so…. I prepared some salves and a few different kinds of medicine. Nothing to special, but in case something serious should happen. Also, I have Takeshi's medicine; you know he won't take it on his own. Is it alright if I leave everything with you?"

"Of course. When are you and your young man be leaving?"

"Tonight."

"Are you sure that's alright, this storm will undoubtedly be a rough one."

"We'll be fine."

Tomoya leaned forward resting her elbows against the table and stared at her for a long time. Her old grey eyes scanned her face as if she were searching for an answer.

"Be careful," she whispered and pulled her into a tight hug. "You can always come back, you have a home here."

"Thank you."

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The wind hissed through the trees and rain pounded mercilessly against the ground when they stepped outside of her house. Mud splattered across her shoes and her hair hit her face like whips. She glanced at Itachi, somehow he still managed to look sophisticated in the storm, and then back at the shack.

"Burn it down would you?"

He raised a single eyebrow at her in question.

"I'd rather not leave any evidence."

He nodded his head and turned back to the house.

"Katon no jutsu," he whispered and the building was quickly set ablaze.

Shouldering their packs they walked silently into the storm.

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